OF GROWTH, CHANGE, AND HOPE

Hey there, how are you doing? It's been a challenging month for all of us around the world and it is truly a time filled with uncertainty. I hope that you are doing well, feeling healthy and safe in the comforts of your homes. Just like most of you, I have also been working from home. Aside from the daily work that I do, I have also been constantly enjoying chores that I usually don't do on a regular workday. One of those chores would be tending to the plants and watering them. This simple task may seem too mundane, but I have come to notice and realize a lot of things about myself and life in general while doing so.

Watering the plants has become a calming and comforting task for me and my husband during this time of enhanced community quarantine. Plants represent life and its cycle; it is both beautiful and puzzling. Most if not all of them perform according to their situation and specie and adapt to the given conditions. Plants can also teach us a lot about ourselves and how we live our lives. Here are some of the things I have come to realize while wandering around our humble garden.

Two days ago, I was watering my newly repotted plants and noticed this clover-like sprout growing in one of my aloe plants. This was the second time this happened but I completely ignored the first time because I was too preoccupied to take time and wonder why or how it got there. But this situation of being locked up at home for about a month now has taught me to become mindful of every single thing again. 

As I took this photo, I realized how much I've changed as a person as years went by. I used to stop and truly enjoy these little things. I used to appreciate the simple days at home whether in complete rest or doing creative projects. Life was just too simple back then.

But just like plants, we go through periods in our lives where we feel too exhausted, too dry. We tend to overwork ourselves too much, set unrealistic expectations to achieve on a specific period, unexpectedly compete and fight for a certain cause or position, and all these efforts to achieve that one ultimate goal becomes the very reason for our breaking point. And the cycle goes on, we recharge, we get back to our feet, we tell ourselves we'll do better, and then expectations build up once again. It is indeed a never-ending cycle that will always revolve as long as we live.

As I grew I've come to realize that even in the most uncertain and dark times, from a certain point of view or angle, there is still hope and there is still beauty. In times of drought, you'll be surprised to find people who are either going through the same situation or have gone through it before you. The beauty in this is the idea of a support system - it could be a rekindled friendship, a newly found hobby or outlet, or even a simple cup of coffee. There are still those tiny beautiful things that will come out every so often, and the only thing that we need to do is to open our eyes and our hearts to see the bigger, wider picture.

Oftentimes we ignore our natural beauty and God-given abilities and compare ourselves with others. We don't want to be plain, we don't want to be in the background forever, we want to be different. But just like some plants and vines that grow in our backyard, our so-called 'plain personalities' and 'ordinary skills' become the very same reason why we survive, become resilient, and eventually shine in the most unexpected times. These plants fed me and my family a lot, but I really have not taken the time to observe where or how they even grow. But they have always been there, they have always been part of weekend lunches and 'lazy dinners'. They are a very essential part of our life. And just like them, we too are created fearfully and beautifully to serve a specific purpose and cause.

Some plants need space to grow. For a certain period of its life, it seems set apart from its kind but as it grows and matures, you won't even tell where it is any more because it has blended in and grouped well with the mature leaves. We need time to grow and sometimes there is a period in that growth where we need to figure things out on our own. In the process, we accept ourselves - learn our strengths and be humble enough to admit our shortcomings and embrace the fact that we too need people to support and mentor us as grow.

Plants have roots, the bigger it grows, the deeper the roots. Some plants propagate easier and quickly compared to others. This is a lesson on timing. We all have a different pace; some take days to bear fruit yet some take years. That's how God designed us, we were molded to be different from each other yet we were from His likeness. We are beautiful and we all have our own unique story of growth.

Lastly, just like plants, we bloom. We bloom in different ways and seasons but when we do, someone will see it and appreciate it. No matter how 'small' or 'irrelevant' we think we are at the moment, the things we go through in our different seasons will all conclude to our beautiful and productive growth. And of course, part of growth would be developing the ability to accept that after this blooming period, we will have to go back to the start to unlearn or re-learn certain things, go through the same motions of growth, and wait for another cycle to finish in order for us to fulfill another life mission or task specifically designed for us.

Its times like these that we should use our gifts and platforms to spread hope and positivity to those who need it the most. I truly hope that as I continue to rediscover and reconnect with the things that I used to enjoy and love, you'll be able to find your way to yours as well.

I wish to thank Adell Baker for the tip on practicing macro photography during this time of lockdown. I encourage you to try it as well, it is the perfect exercise to appreciate the small and usually unnoticed things around you.

Despite everything, I continue to wish you all a Happy Heyday!

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Link Love:

Adelle Baker

https://adellbaker.com/10-things-for-photographers-to-do-during-lockdown/